Lokcaekkung 19
1 To naah Israel kaminawk loe siangpahrang tawn o ai vop; Ephraim mae taengah kaom, Levi kami maeto mah Judah prae Bethlehem vangpui ih nongpata maeto to zula ah lak.
At that time the Israeli people had no king. There was a man from the tribe of Levi who lived in a remote place in the hilly area where the tribe of Ephraim lives. He had previously taken as a wife a woman who was a slave. She was from Bethlehem, in the area where the tribe of Judah lives.
2 Toe anih ih zula loe sava nuiah oep om ai, tangyat a zawh, nongpata loe a sava to caehtaak ving moe, Judah prae Bethlehem vangpui ah kaom ampa khaeah oh; ampa im ah khrah palito thung oh.
But she started to sleep with other men also. Then she left him and returned to her father’s house in Bethlehem. She stayed there for four months.
3 A sava loe angmah ih zula to pathloep moe, hoih let hanah a caeh; laa hrang hnetto hoiah a tamna maeto a caeh haih; nongpata mah a sava to ampa imthung ah akun haih, ampa mah anih to hnuk naah, paroeai kawnh.
Then her husband took his servant and two donkeys and went to Bethlehem. He went to ask her to come back to live with him again. When he arrived at her father’s house, she invited him to come in. Her father was happy to see him.
4 Nongpata ampa, amsae mah anih to cam raeh khae, tiah a naa pongah anih loe to ah ni thumto thung cam; anih loe to ah naekcaak moe, a iih.
The woman’s father asked him to stay. So he stayed there for three days. During that time he ate and drank and slept there.
5 Ni palito oh pacoengah anih loe angmah ih avang ah amlaem hanah, khawnthaw ah angthawk, toe nongpata ampa mah a mawkca khaeah, khawnbang buhcaak pacoengah caeh hoih, tiah a naa.
On the fourth day, they all got up early in the morning. The man from the tribe of Levi was preparing to leave, but the woman’s father said to him, “Eat something before you go.”
6 To pongah nihnik loe nawnto anghnut hoi moe, buh to a caak hoi; to naah nongpata ampa mah, Poeknawm ah om hoih loe, vaiduem doeh cam hoi raeh khae, tiah a naa.
So the two men sat down to eat and drink together. Then the woman’s father said to him, “Please stay another night. Relax/Rest and have a joyful time.”
7 A mawkca loe caeh han angthawk tahang boeh, to naah amsae mah anih to kaang pae khruek pongah, a cam let.
The man from the tribe of Levi wanted to leave, but the woman’s father requested him to stay one more night. So he stayed again that night.
8 Ni pangato naah anih loe im ah amlaem han khawnbang khawnthaw ah angthawk; to naah tangla ih ampa mah, Poeknawm ah om hoi raeh, tiah a naa. To pongah athun karoek to a oh hoi let moe, nawnto buh to a caak hoi.
On the fifth day, the man got up early and prepared to leave. But the woman’s father said to him again, “Have something to eat. Wait until this afternoon, [and then leave].” So the two men ate together.
9 To pacoengah Levi kami loe caeh hanah a zula hoi a tamna maeto kawk moe, angthawk tahang; to naah tangla ampa, amsae mah anih khaeah, Khenah, niduem tom boeh; vaihni loe cam hoi let raeh, niduem tom boeh; cam hoi raeh, poeknawm ai ah om hoi hmah; khawnbang khawnthaw ah angthawk hoih loe, nangmah ih avang ah amlaem hoih, tiah a naa.
In the afternoon, when the man from the tribe of Levi and his slave wife and his servant got up to leave, the woman’s father said, “It will soon be dark. The day is almost over. Stay here tonight and have a good/joyful time. Tomorrow morning you can get up early and leave for your home.”
10 Toe a mawkca loe to naduem to cam han koeh ai boeh pongah, angthawk moe, laa hrang hnetto pongah hmuenmae phawhsak pacoengah, a zula hoi nawnto Jebus, tiah kawk ih Jerusalem vangpui ah caeh.
But the man from the tribe of Levi did not want to stay for another night. He put saddles on his two donkeys, and started to go with his slave wife [and his servant] toward Jebus [city], which is [now named] Jerusalem.
11 Jebus vangpui a phak hoi tom naah loe, niduem tom boeh; a tamna mah angmah ih angraeng khaeah, Angzo ah, hae Jebus kaminawk ih vangpui thungah akun si loe, iip si, tiah a naa.
Late in the afternoon, they came near to Jebus. The servant said to his master, “We should stop in this city where the Jebus people-group live, and stay here tonight.”
12 Angmah ih angraeng mah anih khaeah, Israel kami na ai; acaeng kalah kaminawk ih vangpui thungah loe akun han om ai; Gibeah vangpui karoek to caeh si, tiah a naa.
But his master said, “No, it would not be good for us to stay here where foreign people live. There are no Israeli people here. We will go on to Gibeah [city].”
13 Anih mah a tamna khaeah, Angzo ah; Gibeah maw, to ai boeh loe Ramah vangpui maw, phak thai hanah tha pathok si, to ih vangpui maeto thungah iip si, tiah a naa.
He said to his servant, “Let’s go. It is not far to Gibeah. We can go there, or we can go a bit further to Ramah. We can stay in one of those two cities tonight.”
14 To pongah caeh o poe; niduem naah loe Benjamin prae Gibeah vangpui to a phak o.
So they continued walking. When they came near Gibeah, where people from the tribe of Benjamin live, the sun was setting.
15 To Gibeah vangpui thungah caeh o moe, to ah iih han amsak o, toe mi mah doeh nihcae to im ah toemsak ai pongah, lampui taengah anghnut o sut.
They stopped to stay there that night. They went to the public square of that city and sat down. But no one [who passed by] invited them to stay in their house for that night.
16 Khenah, duembang phak naah loe Ephraim mae ah kaom mitong maeto, lawk hoiah angzoh; anih doeh Gibeah vangpui ah caeh toeng; Benjamin acaengnawk loe to vangpui thungah oh o.
Finally, in the evening, an old man came by. He had been working in the fields. He was from the hilly area of the tribe of Ephraim, but at that time he was living in Gibeah.
17 Anih mah doeng tahang naah, vangpui lampui taengah kaom angvinnawk to a hnuk; to naah mitong mah, Naa ah maw na caeh o han? Naa hoiah maw nang zoh o loe? tiah a naa.
He realized that the man from the tribe of Levi was only traveling and did not have a home in that city. So he asked the man, “Where have you come from? And where are you going?”
18 To kami mah mitong khaeah, Kaicae loe Judah prae Bethlehem vangpui hoiah Ephraim mae ah ka caeh o; kai loe Ephraim mae ah kaom kami ni; Judah prae Bethlehem ah ka caeh moe, Angraeng im ah caeh hanah kam sak; mi mah doeh im ah na toemsak ai vop.
He replied, “We are traveling from Bethlehem to my home in the hilly area where people of the tribe of Ephraim live. I went from there to Bethlehem, but now we are going to [Shiloh] where Yahweh’s Sacred tent (OR, my house) is. No one here has invited us to stay in their house tonight.
19 Kaimah ih laa hrang raawkcak hoi caphaeh doeh ka tawnh, kaimah hoi na tamna nongpata hoi ka hoih ih thendoeng caak hanah takaw hoi misurtui doeh ka tawnh; tidoeh angai ai, tiah a naa.
We have straw and food for our donkeys, and bread and wine for me and the young woman and my servant. We do not need anything else.”
20 To mitong mah, Nangcae khaeah monghaih om nasoe, nang toeng o ih hmuennawk doeh kang paek o han hmang; lampui taengah om o hmah, tiah a naa.
The old man said, “I wish that things will go well for you, but I would like to provide what you need. Do not stay here in the square tonight.”
21 To pongah mitong mah anih to angmah ih im ah caeh haih moe, laa hrang doeh rawkcak a paek; nihcae loe khok ban amsaeh o, buhcaak o moe, a naek o.
Then the old man took them to his house. He gave food to the donkeys. He [gave water to the man and the woman and the servant to] wash their feet. And he gave them something to eat and drink.
22 Poeknawm ah oh o naah, avang thung ih kahoih ai thoemto kaminawk loe to mitong ih im to takui o; thok to boh pae o moe, im tawnkung mitong khaeah, na im ah katoem kami to ka zae o haih hanah, hae ah na hoiah, tiah a hang o thuih.
While they were having a good/joyful time together, some wicked men from that city surrounded the house and started to bang on the door. They shouted to the old man, “Bring out to us the man who has come to your house. We want to have sex with him.”
23 Im tawnkung mitong loe tasa bangah caeh moe, nihcae khaeah, Nawkamyanawk, to tih na ai ni; kahoih ai hmuen to sah o hmah; kai im ah katoem hae kami nuiah hae batktih amthuhaih hmuen to sah o hmah.
The old man went outside and said to them, “Friends, I will not do that. That would be a very evil thing. This man is a guest in my house. You should not do such a terrible/disgraceful/shameful thing!
24 Khenah, Ka canu tangla hoi anih ih zula loe hae ah oh; nihnik to nangcae khaeah kang hoih han, hoih, tiah na poek o ih baktih toengah sah oh, toe hae kami nuiah loe azat thok hmuen to sah o hmah, tiah a naa.
Look, my daughter is here. She is [still] a virgin. And this man’s slave wife is here. I will bring them out to you now. You may do to them whatever you wish, but do not do such a terrible/disgraceful/shameful thing to this young man!”
25 To kaminawk mah tahngai pae o ai pongah, Levi kami mah a zula to nihcae khaeah tasa bangah pathok pae; to kaminawk mah to nongpata to aqum puek koeh thaithue sak o moe, zae o haih pacoengah, khawnbang khodai naah im ah patoeh o.
But the men did not pay attention to what he said. So the man from the tribe of Levi took his slave wife and sent her to them, outside the house. They raped [EUP] her and abused her all night. Then at dawn, they allowed her to go.
26 Nongpata loe khodai naah angmah angraeng ohhaih im ah angzoh let, khodai khoek to thok taengah angsong sut.
She returned to the old man’s house, where her husband was staying, but she fell down at the doorway and lay there all night.
27 Angmah ih angraeng loe kholong caeh hanah, khawnbang khawnthaw ah angthawk moe, thok paong naah, thok nuiah ban koeng moe, amtim sut a zula to a hnuk.
In the morning, when the man from the tribe of Levi got up, he went outside of the house to continue his journey. He saw his slave wife lying there at the doorway of the house. Her hands were on the doorsill.
28 A sava mah anih khaeah, Angthawk ah, caeh si boeh, tiah a naa. Toe anih mah lok pathim pae ai; to naah a sava mah anih to laa hrang nuiah thueng tahang moe, angmah ohhaih ahmuen ah caeh haih.
He said to her, “Get up! Let’s go!” But she did not answer, [because she had died]. He put her body on the donkey and traveled to his home.
29 Im phak naah anih mah haikaek to lak moe, a zula to aboengh hatlai hnetto ah takroek pacoengah, Israel kaminawk ohhaih ahmuen boih ah a pat.
When he arrived home, he took a knife and cut the body of the slave woman into twelve pieces. Then he sent one piece to each area of Israel, [along with a message telling what had happened].
30 To hmuen hnu kaminawk boih mah, Israel kaminawk Izip prae thung hoi angzoh nathuem hoi kamtong vaihni ni khoek to, hae baktih hmuen hae mi mah doeh sah vai ai, hnu doeh hnu o vai ai vop; poek o noek ah loe, poekhaih thui o noek ah, tiah a thuih o.
Everyone who saw a piece of the body and the message said, “Nothing like this has ever happened before. Not since our ancestors left Egypt [have we heard of such a terrible thing]. We need to think carefully about it. Someone should decide what we should do.”
